If Chelsea do not qualify for the European Championship this season, Mauricio Pochettino could be fired as head coach, according to reports.

The Blues’ worst league performance this century prompted the former Tottenham Hotspur manager to make the summer transfer to Stamford Bridge with the hopes of turning things around.

Graham Potter and Frank Lampard combined to lead Chelsea to their worst Premier League finish since 1994, a 12th place finish in 2022–23.

The Blues brought in a new head coach and added notable players like Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo, and Romeo Lavia to their roster for the next season.

Despite a disappointing start to the 2023–24 season, The Telegraph reports that Chelsea have no intentions to fire Pochettino anytime soon.

But if the Argentine can’t get the Blues qualified for Europe, the West Londoners are reportedly ready to break ways with him.

After 20 games in the Premier League, Pochettino’s team is in tenth place, three points behind seventh-place Brighton & Hove Albion, who qualified for the Europa Conference League last season.

In 2024–25, Chelsea have two additional possible ways to compete on the continental scene; winning the EFL Cup being the most obvious of them.

In order to advance to the final at Wembley, the Blues must first overcome a one-goal deficit against Middlesbrough, managed by Michael Carrick, on January 23. They have already reached the quarterfinals of the competition.

The West Londoners would advance to the Europa Conference League playoffs if they beаt second-tier Boro in the final and then beаt Liverpool or Fulham.

Pochettino and Chelsea would also be able to go to Europe if they won their seventh FA Cup; the champions of that tournament get to play in the Europa League group stage.

After cruising past Preston North End last weekend thanks to goals from Armando Broja, Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling, and Enzo Fernandez, the Blues will face an intimidating Aston Villa on January 27.

Paulo Dybala, a striker for Roma and a fellow countryman, is allegedly Pochettino’s top target for attacking reinforcements in January as he looks to improve his team’s chances of qualifying for Europe. Pochettino is 51 years old.

Depending on the outcome of Saturday’s match between Marco Silva’s Cottagers and Chelsea, the Blues might move up to seventh place in the league, passing Manchester United, Brighton, and Newcastle.